2011 February .02

mind body & shape

01. 2011 February

mind body & shape

Could you run

London Marathon?

With the London marathon just a few months away,

preparation is well underway for runners across

the country. But what is it that drives us to test our

endurance to such epic proportions? Experienced

runner Sarah Jones shares her training plan, diet tips

and gives us a real insight to what effect running a

marathon actually has on the body….

What made you passionate about running and what

is it that drives you to keep going?

I started out in the spring squad of my town’s running

club and found the regularity of going twice a week

very enjoyable. I over-heard about a half-marathon

race whilst at work and the principle sounded easy to

me; ‘run 13.1 miles as fast as you can’. I saw the buzz and

excitement that the very mention of a half-marathon

created amongst young people and I wanted a piece.

I finished that first race vowing to never do anything

like that again and have never looked back. What keeps

me going is not chasing down times or pursuit of

bigger things. It’s knowing that running is good for me

and makes me feel free. It makes me happy.

What made you decide to run a full marathon?

When I started at my job, I found out they had a

running club so I joined. After a few evening runs,

someone mentioned that the company gets given a

slot in the London marathon every year and asked

if I would be interested in going for it. Having only

done half-marathons up until that point, I was a little

apprehensive. But then I remembered that getting

into the London marathon can take years through

the ballot entry system and that it was a really great

opportunity. It turned out only one other person had

put their name down so it came down to a trusted

coin toss to decide. Luckily it was me who won it.

Do you have any routines or habits that you always

stick to when you run?

I always like to prepare the night before a race. I pin

my number on my vest and get my clothes ready

for the morning. A habit for non-race running is that

I have to round up the amount of time I’ve run for to

match the miles. For example if I’ve done nine miles

in 59 minutes and 36 seconds, I’ll run for an extra 24

seconds to make it an even hour! I do the same for the

number of calories that I’ve burned and round it up to

a multiple of ten.

Did you devise your own training schedule or adopt

someone else’s?

I didn’t know how to go about building a

marathon schedule as I’d only done half-

marathons before. I looked at a few plans but

realised I needed to tailor a plan of m won to

fit in with my week. I knew I had to steadily

increase my long runs so I set aside the

weekends to extend them as it was the only

time I had around work.

26.2 miles takes its toll on the feet

2011 February .02

mind body & shape

Could you run

London Marathon?

How did it change you both mentally

and physically?

I had forgotten about the pain as the

adrenaline took over for the last few

miles but as soon as I crossed the line

and realised I didn’t HAVE to move

anymore, it felt very strange. I knew

that I had to keep moving despite an

overwhelming urge to lay down. You

have to walk quite far to collect your

baggage after the race and I remember

feeling the most tired I have ever felt.

Mentally, I felt very good. I had completed

something that many people at the age

of 21 could and would not. I knew that

I had completed it only for the right

reason, for the memory of my mum whom I lost to

breast cancer, and not as a test of my ability. Later, I

felt like I had been beaten to within an inch of my life,

that I had the worst hangover imaginable and had the

mobility of an arthritic pensioner. But I felt on top of

the world!

Would you recommend any running clothes or shoes

that you prefer to wear?

When you start running, any trainers will do. When

you get a taste for it, you’ll realise you might need

slightly better trainers. There are numerous shops

that will observe you running on a treadmill to give

you all sorts of technical feedback and then point you

towards a shoe that fits your running style. I started

with a pair of plain Nike non-specific running shoes

and now have five different versions of the same shoe!

How did you change your diet in preparation for the

marathon?

I didn’t really alter it too much as I already did a lot

of exercise so ate quite a high-carb diet anyway. I

tried to get used to sugary and salty snacks on longer

runs because I didn’t want a surprise stomach-ache

or anything worse during the race. It’s good to try

the things you know you’re going to use a long time

before the actual race. I knew that I couldn’t hold down

bananas or anything orange flavoured from testing.

Has there ever been anything that made you want to

stop running?

Fortunately I’ve never had any serious injuries but

I think that if I were to lose the momentum and

regularity of running, it would make me stop. Maybe if

the government started taxing runners on the amount

of miles they run then I would consider stopping!

Pict

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.net

Thousands of runners gather for the London

marathon